Many animals, such as dogs, cats or other pets, and even humans such as children, can be submitted to human control by a leash held by a user. Conventionally, an animal is provided with a collar or other strapped device, and a leash is attached to the collar when used to control the animal, and detached and stored on its own when unused.
Leashes are available in a variety of sizes and types. There are chain leashes, strap leashes, and cord leashes. Some leashes extend and retract from a hand-held device. However, conventional uses of leashes require that the leash be detached from an animal when not in use, leading to a possibility that the leash may be misplaced or lost, or that it is not available at certain critical times.